Lesser of Two Evils
by UNcharacteristics
Summary: Change Sequel. Pein struggles to keep the peace between the Akatsuki and Ame's new ally, Konoha. Amidst the chaos, a serpent does come, seeking to end them all and rise to power. Sexual content, violence, and naughty words.
1. The Beginning

As usual, another sequel of _Change_.

Disclaimer: Please Jashin, don't sue me. I own nothing, save a rather twisted imagination and fondness for anime smut. Sincerely, your humble slave.

I'm not sure I like this chapter and might change it. But, as I have the other two stories up already, I really wanted to get this one on with the show. So... here it is...

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><p>The soft white glow of moonlight played across the mahogany floor boards, a canvas for the trembling shadows that scattered about the small room. The leader of the Akatsuki lay across the couch, his head comfortably pillowed by the arm-rest as he scrawled the last bit of information in the paperwork he so dreaded, working by moonlight so not to wake Konan. He tossed the papers on the floor carelessly and stole a glance at the clock on the opposite wall. Its hands read nearly two in the morning. Pein sighed and closed his eyes, listening, for a brief moment, to the rhythmic sound of the wind and his roommate's sleeping breath.<p>

Ever since Yahiko died, the woman had not been the same, nor had Pein for that matter. Yahiko, their friend, their brother, had passed so untimely, so wrongly, that his passing would haunt them forever. Pein understood her longing and often felt it too. And sometimes it was too painful to bear, especially in the desolation of night, the dark of night, where the mind wandered to even darker places.

Konan stirred in the sheets and muttered something obscure, shaking Pein from his trance and grabbing his attention. He listened for a moment to make sure she didn't awake suddenly from a nightmare. But she was quiet. He closed his eyes again and slipped into sleep.

The off-key screech of a hawk sounded outside the Akatsuki headquarters, waking Pein from his sleep. He blinked his ringed eyes a few times, adjusting them to the morning light. Konan was still fast asleep, curled up in the tangled mess of her bedsheets. He quietly made his way across the room, grabbing his Akatsuki cloak off the desk, then walked to the roof to meet the messenger bird.

The large, reddish-brown bird was perched on one of the railings, pacing back and forth. Pein grabbed the small scroll off its leg and sent it on its way. The kanji for "fire" was printed on the scroll's exterior. _Tsunade._ He stuck the scroll in the sleeve of his Akatsuki cloak and walked to the kitchen.

"Coffee, Leader-sama?" the blonde bomber asked politely, holding out a steaming mug that smelled of the rich flavor of coffee beans and said "I love tea" on it.

Pein nodded and took the mug gratefully. "Thank you, Deidara." He wandered into the common room and took a seat on one of the couches. Kakuzu sat on the opposite couch. The older man, unlike usual, was without his mask and had his brown-black hair strewn across his shoulders. Pein gave him a slight nod, and Kakuzu returned the gesture.

"What news from Konoha, Leader-sama?" Kakuzu asked, taking a sip of his own coffee.

"I was just about to find out," Pein replied, grabbing the scroll he'd tucked away.

"They better take that damn teacher back," Kakuzu grumbled, his eyes narrowing hatefully.

Pein sighed. "One would think you'd appreciate Iruka's company. The more time Hidan spends with him, the less time he's bitching and complaining about you."

Kakuzu shrugged. "He gets on my nerves."

"He's just nervous. You're not exactly welcoming," Pein retorted.

Kakuzu scowled. "Are you saying that I should be a nicer to him?"

Pein nodded.

"Not a chance in Hell."

Yelling echoed through the hallways before Pein had a chance to reply. They couldn't make out what the commotion was about, but they could tell it was Hidan.

"Speak of the devil," Kakuzu muttered, scowling again. "Think he died?"

Pein just rolled his eyes. He set his coffee mug on the table and went to see what was the matter. Before he even got out of the common room, the brunette chuunin had collided with him. Iruka panicked once he realized exactly who he had run into. He managed a string of "I'm sorry's", acting as if his life depended on Pein's forgiving nature.

"Is there something you need, Iruka?" Pein asked, interrupting the chuunin before Iruka ran out of breath.

"I... uh..." Iruka started, fidgeting with his shirt and averting his eyes "Uh, looking … for..."

Pein raised his eyebrow.

"S-Sasori," Iruka managed.

Pein nodded toward the kitchen and returned to the common room. He took another sip of his coffee before picking up the scroll again.

"What was that about?" Kakuzu asked.

"I don't know," Pein replied.

"Do you want to know?"

"No."

Kakuzu smiled smugly. "And what was that about being nicer to him?"

Pein ignored him and skimmed through the content on the scroll, paying particular attention to the words in bold. "Tsunade has some missions for us that we're to complete with the aid of Konoha shinobi."

"Fighting with Konoha shinobi? That'll be interesting. Until someone dies," Kakuzu muttered.

Pein continued reading. "And they want Iruka back."

Kakuzu looked up at him, surprised. "That's delightful." But he went right back to scowling. "They should pay us for saving his sorry ass."

"He didn't need to be saved in the first place."

"Hidan said he was lost," the older man retorted.

"Exactly," Pein replied, "_Hidan_ said he was lost." Pein made to get up, but Kakuzu interrupted him.

"Going to inform Iruka?" Kakuzu asked.

Pein nodded.

"I'll do it," Kakuzu said with a grin, before heading off to find the chuunin.

The red-head rubbed his temples with his fore and middle fingers, then walked back to his office, taking the scroll with him. He saw Konan seated in his chair and shuffling around in his desk, looking for something or the other while trying to put her hair up.

"Find what you're looking for?" Pein asked quietly.

"I can't find a thing in this mess," Konan retorted. "I don't know how you get anything done."

"I have a system. What are you looking for?"

Konan grumbled and finished putting her origami flower in her blue locks. "I need the mission requests. A new group of genin just graduated. I want to give them missions this afternoon."

"Konan-"

"Don't," the blue-haired woman interrupted. "You need to take care of the Akatsuki and our relationship with Konoha as well as with the other nations. I can help you take care of Rain for a little while." She kicked her feet up on the desk and smiled. "Besides, I kind of like this chair."

Pein sighed. "I know you do." He opened a drawer and pulled out a file, handing it to his partner. Konan took the papers and thanked the leader before leaving the small office room. Pein took a seat in his chair and began to reorganize the mess of papers scattered across his desk. A timid hand rapped on the office door, interrupting him.

"Iruka," Pein said calmly, inviting the chuunin in and shutting the door behind them.

Iruka was tense, to say they least. He noticeably jumped when Pein shut the door, and looked nervously at all corners of the room as if it were a cage instead of an office. "Yes, Leader-sama?" the chuunin finally asked.

"Are you alright, Iruka?" Pein asked, resuming his place behind his desk.

The chuunin rubbed his arm sheepishly and nodded. "I... I was just... uh..."

Pein raised an eyebrow. "Nervous?"

Iruka nodded again, still averting his gaze. "Yeah, that."

"Hm..." Pein shuffled through his papers and retrieved Tsunade's scroll from the pile. He handed it to Iruka, who took it tentatively. "Tsunade sent me this earlier today."

Iruka read the letter, seemingly in a hurry, but seemed very relieved. "Oh, I thought you wanted to see me for something else..."

Pein smirked for a moment, thinking back to the awkward conversation between himself and Hidan the night prior. "It wouldn't have anything to do with last night, would it?"

Iruka brushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, uh... about that..."

Pein shook his head, still smirking. "I'm well aware of Hidan's antics. Don't worry about it."

Iruka let out a deep sigh. "Thank Jashin..."

"We'll leave tomorrow, then," he stated. "I suggest you spend tonight with Hidan."

Iruka's face went white. "Hidan's not coming?"

Pein shook his head, watching the chuunin's face go from relieved to horrified in moments. "You and I will leave tomorrow. The rest will meet us a week later."

"You... and me?" Iruka asked, pointing to himself and gulping between pauses. "Umm... O-okay..."

"Try not to get yourself chained to a bed in the meantime," Pein said before dismissing the petrified chuunin with a wave of his hand. Pein smiled to himself as Iruka ran back to Hidan. It would be long and awkward, but the chuunin would survive.


	2. Target

The walk back to Konoha was as excruciating as it was long. It had only been a few hours since they left, and they were still in Rain Country. Iruka checked his watch. _Five minutes. _It had only been a few minutes, which seemed like a few hours, since they left, and they were still in Rain Country.

Pein walked a few steps ahead of Iruka, the chuunin trudging along behind with his hands shoved in his pockets as he kicked a pebble across the sodden ground. The Akatsuki leader wasn't in any sort of disguise, and, as they traveled further away from the Village Hidden in the Rain, the civilians started to give them a wide berth. Iruka tried waving cordially at the passersby, but they averted their gaze, seemingly afraid to make eye-contact with the two travelers. It was a very alienating feeling. Pein didn't care. He actually preferred it this way. A woman's face darkened at the sight of the cloaked man, her eyes slitting and her lips pulling into a face that only read 'disgust' when she caught sight of his brunette companion. Iruka couldn't help but imagine a walk with Hidan, his evil, foul-mouthed boyfriend, on a warm, sunny day. A twinge of pain resonated within the chuunin, and his kind smile quickly vanished.

For most of the day, Pein's mind was elsewhere. If he wasn't surreptitiously sizing-up every potential threat to walk by, he was mentally going over all political concerns in which Rain was involved and, of course, the Akatsuki's new ally of sorts: Konoha.

The silence became almost unbearable for the chuunin. Pein could hear his companion fidgeting impatiently behind him, an annoyance he tried to ignore. He had barely muttered a word since they left, much too busy in his thoughts. But the chuunin was a sociable person. He was used to friendly people. And this brooding, silent man was driving him absolutely, up the wall, stark-raving mad. Iruka gained a little confidence as they neared the familiar territory. He could see the wall of dense trees not far in the distance, the forests surrounding Konoha. The sweet smell of leaves gave him comfort. So he closed the gap, slowly but surely. Pein grimaced.

"So, um. I-it's nice weather," he finally said with a sheepish smile.

Pein acknowledged him with a barely audible "hm" and a slight nod.

Iruka paused for an agonizing moment, thinking of what to say next. "So... have any family?"

"No," the red-head replied.

"Um," Iruka paused, again, rubbing the back of his neck. "Me neither."

Silence...

"My parents died. Were killed, by the Nine-tailed Fox," Iruka confided, hoping the man would open up a little more.

"We'll camp here," Pein said nonchalantly, stopping just at the edge of the forest.

Iruka sighed.

Pein glanced at the rising moon and wondered when it had gotten so dark. It seemed only moments ago he was watching the sun disappear below the horizon. And now the stars suddenly dotted the sky in the cool night. He gathered some wood and helped Iruka make a fire, then sat up against the trees and watched out into the distance. Iruka plopped down near the fire and propped his head on his hands.

"I can take guard if you'd like some rest," Iruka offered.

Pein shook his head. "I'll wake you in a few hours."

Iruka nodded before drifting off to sleep.

Pein continued to gaze off into the distance, paying heed to every sound and shadow in the forest except Iruka's snoring and murmurs. The quiet of the night was peaceful, and he wanted nothing more than to fall into sleep. But there was some sort of odd feeling gnawing at his stomach which seemed to intensify whenever he thought about tomorrow. A cool wind disturbed the bright orange flames, shaking the Akatsuki leader from his thoughts. He sighed.

"Mm..." Iruka murmured, smiling warmly and hugging himself.

Pein raised an eyebrow at the sudden movement.

Iruka giggled lightly, then abruptly batted at the air, pleading, "no, 'kuzu," before rolling over.

A smirk pulled at Pein's lips. _This will help the time pass a little faster..._

_Iruka_. The chuunin felt a jab in his side and shot up, bracing himself for a fight.

"It's your turn, Iruka. Wake me in two hours, then we'll head for Konoha."

Iruka sighed again and walked over to the tree, taking a seat and staring out into the vast fields of nothing. Of all the things he did as a shinobi, guard duty was by far the worst. He'd happily go back to teaching wee tots how to throw their kunai and make shadow clones, to hell with the adventure and excitement of being an elite shinobi, as long as he didn't have to do guard duty. He bit the inside of his lip and prepared his drooping eyelids for the long work ahead.

Pein had lain down, his head resting on his arm, and fallen asleep. Iruka tried not to nod off, which he did several times, but immediately snapped awake and glanced over to make sure Pein didn't see him slacking off. He lifted himself up with his arms and stretched his legs out, being ever so careful not to make a sound. It seemed that every movement made a deafening sound in the quiet of the forest, including the hushed voices in the distance.

Iruka jumped up from his tree and quickly extinguished the small fire with water from his canteen. He crouched next the tree again and focused his sights on the direction from which the voices had come. _It was probably nothing, _he assured himself. _Some civilians who lost track of time._ But something about the tone of those hushed whispers had him on edge. He considered waking Pein but decided against it until he was sure there was a threat.

He watched and waited for what seemed like forever. The voices ceased, but their owners still loomed in the dark night, nearing the chuunin. Their chakra signals were faint, but growing. He backed away from the tree and went to grab Pein's shoulder, but the red-head was already awake.

Iruka jumped. "Leader-sama-" he started.

"Shh. I know." The Akatsuki leader made a few hand signals, and clouds suddenly appeared in the sky, rain coming down in a steady pour. "Hn."

Iruka looked at him questioningly.

"Let's go," Pein said calmly.

"What is it?"

Pein just continued walking, Iruka following closely behind. The chuunin was still on the alert, kunai drawn and eyes darting toward every cracked branch and rustled leaf.

"Well, well, what have we here?" said the ominous voice of a frightening man who appeared behind the two, smiling cockily. In a moment's time, they were surrounded. The ominous tones and sinister laughs came from all sides as the stranger's cohorts came to his aid.

Pein kept walking. Iruka panicked, but followed him, walking backwards so not to turn his back on his enemy.

The stranger suddenly seemed offended by Pein's blatant lack of interest. He braced for attack, drawing a strange umbrella from behind his back. "Do you not know who we are?"

"No," Pein replied, "nor do I care," and continued walking. Iruka backpedaled behind the red-head, kunai drawn and panicked eyes darting between each foe.

The stranger scoffed and tensed. He leapt through cool air, landing in front of the Akatsuki leader with grace and ease. Iruka made note of it; the man was a shinobi, or was at least trained as a shinobi. "You should," the stranger continued, "since we are about to be your murderers."

"Fascinating..." Pein replied, sarcasm lacing his calm voice as he walked casually passed the stranger.

The man braced for attack, letting out a frustrated growl and suddenly yelling at the detached red-head. "I am Shura! We are the Shinobazu!"

Iruka grabbed the Akatsuki leader, trying to get his attention. "Leader-sama," the chuunin said, urgency in his hushed voice. "They are murderers who recently escaped from Konoha's prison! They've killed hundreds of innocent people! We shouldn't take this lightly!"

Pein stole a glance at Iruka for a moment. "If you say so, Iruka." He turned back to Shura, drawing a kunai in his hand.

An empty, sinister laugh echoed through the night forest, and the minions joined the chorus. Shura's lips pulled into a smile, and he aimed the umbrella at Pein. "You think you can defeat me? I'll kill you just for your insolence!" Senbon darted from the end on the umbrella, aimed straight for Pein's ringed eyes.

Iruka braced himself, trying to block the senbon with his kunai. But the needles swirled around him, moving in midair, before they even touched him. The senbon were suddenly flying in all directions, some veering toward the strangers in the forest. Shura and his two minions dodged the needles, most of them. They turned toward Pein, now shocked and enraged.

"This is your last chance," the red-head warned, still as emotionless as ever.

Shura, heedless of the Akatsuki leader's threat, charged at the cloaked man, drawing a hidden sword from his umbrella.

Pein grabbed the man's wrist and twisted. Bone snapped in Pein's grip, and the sword clattered to the ground. He grabbed Iruka's shoulder and held out his hand. "Shinra tensei!" The two minions were thrown through the forest. Trees and rocks were shattered in the blast, the debris being swept away along with criminals.

Pein turned to face the shocked chuunin. "Happy?"

Iruka just gave him a slight nod, mouth still agape and eyes wide.

"Hm. Let's go. I haven't the time nor patience for this nonsense." The red-head squeezed the nape of Shura's neck. The stranger mumbled some profanities and tried to push the hand away, but he quickly slipped into unconsciousness. Pein threw him over his shoulder and instructed Iruka to grab the other two men, now unconsciousness and covered in injuries. He grabbed some rope off the pale minion, Monju, Iruka had informed him, and used it to secure the three men.

"We'll send ANBU after them when we reach Konoha," he said.

Iruka gave him a wary glance. "Are you sure you don't want to rest, Leader-sama?"

Pein shook his head. "We're not far from Konoha. And it's best we send ANBU for them before they wake up."

Pein led the way through the dark forest, Iruka following closely behind. The Akatsuki leader stole a glance at the trees high above the forest floor. In the darkness, a figure shrouded in black sat, watching, not moving even when Pein noticed him. Even under Pein's rain, the man was a mystery. Pein turned away and continued walking.

He smiled viciously, his legs crossed, his arms resting on his knees. Those ringed eyes looked right at him. His target looked right through him, as if challenging him. His smile widened. His eyes narrowed. _This is going to be fun_.


End file.
